


A Lion's Pride

by ausmac



Category: Warcraft (2016), Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Omega, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:45:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ausmac/pseuds/ausmac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My first attempt at one of those strange but intriguing Alpha/Omega stories.  I had posted a smaller version of this earlier but decided to expand it a bit.  Hopefully I get all the techniques of the story type right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Distractions and Discoveries

Lothar was partway through a sword exercise with his squire when a familiar sensation caressed his senses and –

SMACK!  The practise sword hit him in the padded chest armour, sending him staggering backwards.  His guard flashed up automatically but it was too late to intercept the blow, but not too late to see the surprised and pleased expression his squire’s face.

Young Jethry ran forward, dropping the practise blade.  “My Lord, I’m so sorry, are you –?”

“I’m fine.  I was distracted.”  He saw the smile fade and grinned.  “No, you did well son, if I’m distracted in battle I deserve to be struck, and more. “  He tugged off the armour and rubbed one hand over the sore spot.  “I’d best finish for the day before I really hurt myself.”

As he turned towards the edge of the practise ring, he looked over to a group of watching men, seeking one in particular.  He saw a face turned towards him, eyebrows up in query, and gestured to him.

The young officer jumped the fence and trotted towards him.  “My Lord, did you-?”

“I did.  Whoever it is, I owe them for that hit.  Lorne,” he said, placing a hand on the young officer’s shoulder, “you must use control.  Find whoever she or he is, but remember your training.  And the rules of my city.”

Lorne sucked in a deep breath and nodded, saluting.  “By your command, Lord. ”

He answered the salute and watched the officer lope away.  _And hopefully I’ll find out what idiot of an unpartnered Omega is doing wandering around my city in Heat….._

 

“…and he got into the barracks somehow and was going over the bodies.”

Lothar snarled at the guard.  “You let someone get past you and indulge in a bit of body robbing?   Were you all ASLEEP?”

The guards shuffled unhappily.  “My Lord, we think he’s a mage.”

Lothar grunted.  Well, that would explain being able to sneak in undetected, at least.  “Where is he?”

“In the guardroom, My Lord.  We locked him in there awaiting your orders.”

“Very well.  Next time, pay more attention, mage or not.”  He strode down the corridor and unlocked the door, pushing it open and found, not the grey hair, bearded elderly mage he’d been expecting, but a young man not much older than his own son, bending over the desk rifling through the paperwork there.

Annoyed, he strode forward as the young man raised his head.  “Oh good, are you in charge…?”

He grabbed a handful of cloth on the boy’s chest, shoved him backwards onto the desk, covered his mouth with one hand and slammed a compass across one wrist. He’d seen the arcane flash in his brown eyes and the initial swirls of magic, and the uncovered Kirin Tor symbol on his arm was hardly more proof of his nature.

“What are you doing in my city, spellchucker?”

And before another word could come from his lips the warm, seductive sense of an Omega in heat swirled around him, overwhelmingly powerful, cutting through all thought and tripping him over into immediate full-blown Alpha mode.  He groaned, body locked in an impossible battle between lust and intellect.  The door opened as a guard poked his head around the door at the sudden noise and Lothar snarled a warning.  The guard hastily retreated, slamming the door. 

_I will not.  I will control._

And he knew it was hopeless, he could no more inhibit the effect of the abrupt shift than he could stop his heart beating.  And just when it seemed he would do something shameful –

It stopped.  The invisible power of the Heat was gone, like a light turning off in a darkened room.

He sagged backwards, sweat dripping into his eyes as he sucked in a shuddering breath.  _What in all the …_ He’d never seen anything like it.  When he looked down into the flushed face, he realised the young man had controlled him, controlled an Alpha.  He’d triggered the Heat and then stopped it, or stopped Lothar from sensing it.  Or whatever he’d done.  It was…unheard of.

“What…how…damn you!”

The young man slid off the table, putting it between him and the angry warrior.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to…you surprised me.”

“ **I** **surprised you!** ´ You come into my city, break into my barracks, an unannounced Omega, in Heat no less, and then you do that, whatever THAT was and….I surprised you!!???”  He wiped a hand across his face and ground his teeth together in frustration.  “Who in the name of all the small hairy gods are you?”

“My name is Khadgar, I’m the Guardian Novitiate.”

 

He’d taken the young mage to study the bodies as he’d requested, as much out of curiosity as anything.  His discovery of the unpleasant green substance had caused him distress and he’d immediately requested an audience with the King.

Lothar had agreed, intrigued despite his annoyance.  Khadgar’s Omega status was undeniable and Lothar was equally sure he was in Heat.  Yet outwardly he appeared to be in the neutral part of an Omega’s cycle.  Khadgar was tense, certainly, but that could just as easily be due to his discovery and whatever mission he was on.  How a young man travelling alone in his state could be so calm was yet another part of the puzzle.  As they turned a corner to head for the Palace steps, Lothar studied the young face, edging his mount closer instinctively.

“How far along?” he asked and watched the brown eyes turn towards him.

“Two days.”

 _Two days._   After two days of unrelieved Heat, he should be climbing all over Lothar and begging him, or any other Alpha he could get his hands on.  Yet there he rode, as if the only thing on his mind was an ugly body lying in the garrison cell.  “Are you…?”

“Yes.  I’m fine.  Thank you for asking.”

 _Touchy.  Fascinating, but touchy…_   And of course he was.  Despite whatever magical means he was using to dampen his Heat, Lothar was the Prime Alpha of Stormwind and correspondingly sensitive.  Traces of that Omega allure reached him, enough to make his skin itch, to make him edge closer to the source of it, like magnetic attraction. 

Khadgar chose to ignore it, dismounting and handing his reins to a waiting guard.   If he was discomfited by the fact that the Lord Commander walked very much inside his personal space as they climbed the stairs, he didn’t reveal it.  _Probably accustomed to having hopeful Alphas trail after him.._.

The King had been about to head out to Goldshire for a picnic day with his family but Lothar managed to stop him in time.  Though a Normal, Llane was well acquainted with his friend’s moods and body language, and he studied Khadgar with a great deal more interest than he normally would have.

“I would not normally summon the Guardian with so little evidence,” he said finally, after hearing the young mage out.  “However, if you, as the Guardian Novitiate, feel it is important enough, then I shall.  Beside,” he finished, smiling at Lothar, “it will be good to see our old friend again after so long an absence.”

So it was that Lothar found himself flying to Kharazan, with Khadgar behind him on the gryphon.

Very close behind him.  The fact that Khadgar had to wrap his arms around Lothar to keep from falling off was both pleasant and distracting.  And if at times the young Omega needed to press himself against Lothar’s back – presumably for support – that only made both the pleasure and the distraction event greater.

 

Medivh appeared to be pleased to see him, despite his unexpected arrival.  They’d spoken of the Guardian’s unusual sculptural hobby and then his old friend had turned and asked in a forced casual tone:

”Who is the boy downstairs?”

And it was then that Lothar remembered that Medivh was not simply the Guardian and a mage of great power, but also an Alpha. 


	2. The green in a man's eyes

The Karazhan library was as amazing as Khadgar had thought it would be.  Rising above his head in every direction, the shelves contained thousands of tomes, enough to fill a lifetime of reading, the whole room lit by the wonderful blue glow of magic. 

And when he saw the strange ghostly image that led him to one book in particular, he’d managed to tuck it away as he sensed the Lord Commander’s return.  And someone else, another Alpha, and before he could more than strengthen the spell wrapped around his body, he was picked up and shoved backwards against a wall.

So there he was, held in an uncomfortable magic grip, being watched with that familiar feral intensity that he’d come to recognise in Alphas.  And one of them was the Guardian.

_Great news.  Well done, Khadgar.  Two of the most powerful people in your current worldscape, and both of them Alphas.  Can life get any more complicated?_

He was finally let drop and struggled upright, backing away until his back struck the wall.  The Guardian was older than he’d imagined, though it was hard to be sure with the long hair and beard streaked here and there with silver.  Magic sometimes did that to mages, turned their hair grey or white; the more potent the mage, the more likely it was.

“Sent to spy on me, boy?” Medivh said in a soft hiss.  “Not a good choice for a spy I’d have thought, given your state.”  A hand reached out to touch him and he twisted away from it.  Not that it did any good, he had nowhere to go to.  The hand touched his face, a finger running over his chin.  “I’m impressed by whatever power you’re using to control or suppress it.  Your own invention, is it?”

“Please, Guardian,” he said hoarsely, “I’m not here to spy.  I came to warn you.  About the Fel!”

The hand froze, then pulled back, and blue/green eyes fixed on his face.  “What are you talking about.  There is no Fel in Azeroth.”

“There is now.  I’ve seen it.”

Medivh switched his gaze to Lothar, who nodded.  “Yes, I saw it too.  Nasty green stuff.  The King has commanded your attendance at Stormwind so that we can discuss it further.”

“Very well.”  He turned and walked for the exit, not looking at Khadgar again, and Lothar gave him a brief, crooked smile before following.  With a deep sigh of frustration, Khadgar trailed both Alphas out of the tower, and watched, fascinated despite his concerns, as Medivh conjured a portal.  _Another thing I want to learn_ he thought, as he stepped into the glowing portal sigils and was transported instantly to Stormwind.

Their arrival coincided with news from beyond the city of attacks on a number of Storwind outposts.  Things moved fast then as Stormwind’s forces activated against the threat, and Khadgar found himself pushed to the side.  That suited him; being around two Alphas like Anduin Lothar and Medivh taxed his controls and he need time to think about what he should be doing.  He finally left the Palace in search of somewhere to get a decent meal, finding a nearby tavern that seemed clean enough.  Perching himself on a bench in a corner, Khadgar ordered a simple meal and a jug of beer, and wondered whether any of the people back at the Palace even noticed he was gone.

 

At some point in the evening Medivh glanced up and looked about, eyes narrowed.  “Where is Khadgar?”

Lothar had been busy forming plans for reconnaissance and he too realised that the young mage was nowhere in the room.  “He was here…”  And then he couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d sensed the young Omega’s presence.  “Damn, where did he wander off to!”

Medivh stood and grabbed his cloak.  “You keep on with your work, I’ll find him.” He smiled mildly at Lothar’s frown.  “We mages have ways of finding each other.  I’ll bring him back – and it will give me a chance to walk and consider what is happening.  I shan’t be long.”

 

He was on his second mug of beer when Khadgar sensed Medivh’s presence.  He was difficult to miss of course – the tavern became respectfully quiet when he entered, and greetings and bows followed him across the room.  _The famous Medivh_ , he thought, watching the tall, slender figure walk gracefully towards him. Guardian of Azeroth, perhaps the most powerful living wielder of magic – everything that Khadgar wasn’t.  Not to mention a subtle, powerful Alpha.  His strength flowed around Khadgar as he came to a stop in front of the table, blue/green eyes hooded.  “May I sit?”

Khadgar wriggled across to the end of the bench.  “Please.  Would you like something?”

“No,” Medivh said, settled himself next to Khadgar.  “I will eat later.  Though I wouldn’t mind a glass of that good dwarvish beer.”

Khadgar filled a mug and handed it to Medivh and their hands touched.  Medivh placed the mug on the table and took Khadgar’s hand in a firm but gentle hold, turning it palm-up.  Khadgar absently considered the ink stains that needed washing but the rest of him was focused on the feel of power in that hand.  Power and strength, and the tingling Alpha sense that made him wrap his fingers around Medivh’s hand without conscious thought.  The older mage studied the hand without looking up.

“How do you control it?”

He tried to pull his hand back but Medivh held it and rather than cause a scene, he let it stay there.  “I researched a draught that controls the Heat need.  I can trigger it or turn it off as long as the elixir is active.”

He watched numbly as the larger thumb massages his palm.  “But you must seek relief eventually, surely.”

It was odd and a bit uncomfortable discussing something so private, but Khadgar supposed if anyone had the right to know, it was Medivh.  “I..yes, I have to eventually.  I was the only Omega in Dalaran, a couple of my class mates were Alphas and they helped me out.  I just don’t like being…touched…by strangers.  All that much.”

The bright eyes lifted to his but Medivh kept hold of his hand.  “Like this, you mean?”

The gentle circular stroking of his palm was mesmeric – embarrassing on one level because, even though he knew who Medivh was, he didn’t know him personally.  On the other hand, the Heat was rising under the touch, and he wondered if Medivh was countering the elixir somehow.  Or if it was simply that he was so strong, much stronger than the young Alpha men he’d known in Dalaran.  “Umm, I …”  He swallowed, eyes wide as the thumb came to rest over the vein in his wrist, where the blood was pumping a lot faster than it had been a few minutes ago.

And then the older mage slid his fingers around Khadgar’s wrist, holding his hand pressed to the table and he looked up numbly into the Guardian’s face.  “Guardian…?”

“So you created a way to control your Heat?  Clever young Khadgar. But for everything you try, you cannot change what you are, or even what you may become.  Ultimately that is so for all of us.”  His voice became very soft, hypnotically so, and for a moment or two Khadgar thought his eyes glowed faintly green.

He blinked and the green glow was gone, if it had ever been there. “I don’t … understand, I’m sorry, Guardian.”

 Medivh smiled mildly and released Khadgar’s hand.  “Of course you don’t.  You should return to the Palace.”  He stood, stepping away, his hands in his robe sleeves.  “Lothar will be looking for you.”  He went to turn, and then looked back down at Khadgar.  “But if you ever find you need assistance – with anything – come visit me at Kharazan.  You’ll find I have a wealth of experience.”

But Khadgar didn’t return straight away.  He sat staring across the noisy tavern, eyes unfocused, as the Heat swirled around him and he tried to puzzle out exactly what he had heard – and what he had seen…

 


	3. The Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need a little "Khadgar/dominating Lothar" to lighten my day...

Khadgar woke the next morning and bolted upright in bed, aware of nothing more than that his Heat had woken him with its urgent need.  He kicked away the bedclothes, struggling out of the perspiration-soaked sheets and sleepwear.  _How did I managed to sleep through it?  And why has the Elixir stopped working?_

It had to be Medivh.  He could think of nothing else that might cause his usually-reliable elixir to fail.  Or perhaps being in the presence of two such powerful Alphas.  That had never happened to him before.  And neither had what he was feeling at that moment.

Need.  Terrible, gnawing need.  It was like he imaged it would feel to be starving – wanting food so badly that you ached.  He staggered into the bathing room, poured buckets of cold water into the tub and crawled into it, shivering at the sudden impact of the water on his hot skin. Previously he’d been able to calm the Heat that way, and it did provide some brief comfort.  But within minutes of getting out and drying off, it returned, even stronger than before.

He pulled on clothing, hardly aware of what he was doing, and crawled into a corner with his back to the wall.  He couldn’t think of what to do.  He doubted he’d be able to make it back to Dalaran, and if the elixir had failed, his only choice was to find an Alpha.  _Really, really fast!_

And as if on cue, there was knock on the door and he heard Lothar’s voice outside.  “Hullo.  You’re late for the meeting, are you…”  The voice stopped abruptly, and the door handle shook.  “Open up.”

Khadgar knew the man had sensed him; hell, it was a wonder every Alpha in a hundred miles hadn’t sensed him.  He croaked something unintelligible and the door slammed open, striking the wall and then Lothar was in the room, eyes wild as he looked around and then he froze, as he caught sight of Khadgar on the floor.

He staggered forward a step and stopped. ”You…are you..can…”

Khadgar’s voice cracked and warbled.  “Help.” 

He reached up and Lothar was suddenly there, wrapping arms around him, picking him up and he felt so _good_ , the Alpha aura pouring over Khadgar like the cool bath water.  He groaned, hardly aware that Lothar was staggering across the room towards the bed, muttering garbled phrases that seemed totally at odds with the contained warrior Khadgar had come to know.  He sensed Lothar was trying very hard to control himself but at that moment the last thing he wanted was restraint.  He clutched at the arms holding him and he couldn’t seem to focus properly, Lothar’s face faded in and out and he knew he’d never had such an intense Heat reaction before. 

But then it was only his third Heat, so he didn’t have a lot to compare it to.  He suspected, though, in that part of his brain not babbling in a crazy sort of way, that Anduin Lothar was not exactly your typical Alpha.  He was a Prime, he remembered vaguely, head of a city pack, and Khadgar was an inexperienced and probably inept Omega. 

He put his shaking hands on Lothar’s shoulders as the man slid down onto the bed.  “I’m…sorry…”

Vivid blue eyes looked into his.  “Why?”

“Just am.  I’m not…very good.  At this.”

The bearded face drew close and pressed hot lips to his cheeks.  “Don’t worry.  I am.  Very good at this.”

It was such typical arrogance that he couldn’t help laughing.  That didn’t last long because he found himself on his back, the clothing that he’d not long ago put on being pulled off again.  The small spark of fear blossomed into real fright and he shook and Lothar sensed it and enveloped him, arms holding him close, hands soothing his back.  “If..if I’m not who you want, I can try and find someone…else…”  He ground the words out and even as stressed as he was, Khadgar sensed that the idea of that gave Lothar real pain.  His hands gripped at the Lord Commander.

“No!  No one else.  Just..I’m very new to this.”

Lothar’s hold relaxed a little and he leant down to kiss the sweat-damped skin around Khadgar’s throat.  “Trust me, I’d never hurt you.  Lords…you taste like light.  Like sunshine.  It just…comes out of your skin.”  He pulled back, but only far enough to strip off his own clothing, which he did with spectacular speed.  That gave Khadgar enough time to reef his shirt over his head; any clothing felt constricting, he needed none of it against him.

He was deeply into a Heat he’d not experienced before – his previous two had been in the emerging Omega period and were brief, relatively tame and quickly gone.  This one, though, was a raging beast, starving for an Alpha’s touch.  They’d tried to describe it to him, how it would feel – especially if he delayed – but the descriptions were pathetically nowhere near reality.  His whole body felt like one of those gnome-made unexploded bombs, ticking closer to annihilation.

And Anduin Lothar was likewise nothing like the Alpha’s he’d known before.  He was so strong, almost physically daunting but Khadgar sensed, in the remaining sane part of his brain, that this was just how an Alpha should be.  He was powerful, possessive, able to draw the Heat out of Khadgar so that he could quench it with his body.  Then thought went diving down to nothing as he realised he was on his back, both legs raised and held in strong hands and he could feel the scratching of a beard on his thighs and a tongue stroked the damp skin behind his cock so perfectly that he sobbed.

 _There…just there…_ The hidden glands reacted to that touch, stirring awake to send their musky fluid into him, opening him up and making him ready.  The Heat surged even higher and he caught sight of the almost mindless blue eyes flicking up to him with just enough awareness to nod.  A wordless _ready_ signal that, it made him suck in a deep breath, spread himself open and up and then Lothar was on top of him, covering him and entering him with care and a shuddering groan of satisfaction.

Khadgar’s memory of that mating was disjointed.  He remembered the pleasure – that was something you just didn’t forget.  He remembered Lothar’s care even in the deep throes of the Alpha’s drive.  Caught unexpectedly by that Omega Heat it would have been understandable if he’d been rough – it was one thing Khadgar had always feared, that inherent violence in an Alpha/Omega mating.  Yet it had been more than just sex, more than an instinctive thing that happened to their kind.  He’d made it good for his partner, far better than Khadgar had ever known.  No one had ever touched him more deeply, more caringly, either during sex or at any other time.

That first time eased the Heat to a bearable level as they lay together in a sweaty, sticky huddle of arms and legs.  Lothar patted Khadgar’s head awkwardly and he eyed the Lord Commander through the tangled mess of his hair.  The man seemed a bit distracted.

“Umm…are you alright?”

Lothar gave a brief, tired chuckle.  “You asking me?  You’re remarkable.”

Khadgar blushed at the compliment, than had a sudden thought.  “Didn’t we have a meeting to go to?”

“Oh Gods, yes!”  Lothar struggled upright, dislodging Khadgar who rolled aside.  “Get dressed.  No, get cleaned…no, no time for that, just get dressed.”

There was a knock at the door.  “Sir, the King is…”  The door, which hadn’t been locked, slid ajar at the touch of the hand, and the young officer peered in.  He froze in mid-motion – because he was one of Lothar’s Alpha officers and his pupils contracted at Khadgar’s Heat aura. 

Lothar turned, naked and uncaring, and fixed the young man with a lowered, unblinking stare.  And he _growled._

The hairs on Khadgar’s arm stood up at that sound.  It was completely feral.  He’d never heard an Alpha challenge before, but the other man had and he backed off, head dipping, conceding to his Prime.  “Sorry, sorry sir….the King..has sent for you…”  He turned away and literally ran from the door.

“That was impressive,” Khadgar said as he swung his feet to the floor.  “Do you growl at all your officers like that?”

“Only the ones who trespass.”  He held out his hand and Khadgar took it and was pulled upright, to find himself pressed against a broad, lightly haired chest.  “I guard what is mine.”  The tone was low, almost guttural and he looked up, surprised. 

“So you think I’m yours?”  He stood still as Lothar lowered his head to run his bearded cheek against Khadgar’s.  “Because I’m not sure I’m staying…”

And anything further in that sentence was squelched by a mouth landing on his, stealing his breath and disconnecting his brain again.  Lothar’s tongue thrust between his lips, caressing the inside of his mouth, sliding back out to taste his lips, his cheeks, the soft, downy growth of beard on his chin. 

“You taste like mine,” Lothar muttered against his mouth and, clever as he was, Khadgar couldn’t seem to come up with a flaw in that statement.


	4. Bad Timing

The meeting was a disaster.  Lothar was barely able to hold a coherent conversation; he kept edging closer to Khadgar, especially when another Alpha came anywhere near the area.  Khadgar knew he should be able to calm the Alpha, that an experienced Omega could use his aura to soothe and ease the Alpha’s tensions.  But being so new and still in Heat, it was an impossible task.  Lothar’s Alpha power overwhelmed him and all he could do was stand and twitch and hope that the Lord Commander didn’t lose control and try to take him right there on the planning table in front of a shocked group of normals.

And it got seriously dangerous when Medivh turned up.  He ‘ported in, looked around and froze as Lothar snarled in warning.  The Guardian turned slowly towards Khadgar, pupils expanding and although no one else present would feel what had caused the sudden rise in tension, they caught on fairly quickly to the fact that the Lord Commander and the Guardian were about to attack each other.

Khadgar knew he had to get out.  If he stayed in that room the two Alpha’s would fight for him – not because they wanted to but because it was an imperative they couldn’t resist.  He backed off towards the door, struggling to dampen his aura, to project calm.  Lothar’s head swivelled towards him, a snarl twisting the handsome features into something almost unrecognisable.  Khadgar almost made it to the door when Medivh struck.

He launched a blast at Lothar, knocking the warrior backwards into the wall.  He collapsed unconscious as the room erupted into shouts and drawn weapons.  Khadgar yelled in shock as an invisible grip grabbed him and a moment later there was a flash of light, and he and the Guardian were gone.

The shock of the attack and the abrupt teleport numbed Khadgar and he was barely aware of being dragged somewhere. He was able to focus finally as he stumbled against some furniture and realised he was in an unfamiliar bedroom.  Medivh stood a few feet away, slowly removing his robe, his eyes fixed on Khadgar.

He green, glowing eyes.

He shuddered and groped for the bedhead for support.  “Guardian..you must stop.  Please.”

The smile his words triggered was feral.  “I will.  Once I fuck you.  Take off your clothes.”  He made a strange whining growl as Khadgar shook his head.  “I said – take them off. Or I’ll burn them off your body.”

It was hard to think.  Despite the fear and shock, Khadgar’s body was reacting to the Alpha and his hands went to his pants without thought.  He didn’t want this man.  He didn’t want to be forced by this strange, dangerous – thing – because there was something not human about Medivh in that moment.  It was so difficult to even think of fighting when every instinct was digging at him to surrender himself, when the thought of that body taking him brought him to a shocking arousal.

Medivh came even closer, so close that Khadgar could smell him, smell the vaguely musty odour of his clothing, the odour of damp skin.  The older man slid one hand under his chin, thumb running across Khadgar’s lips before tipping his face up and covering his mouth with his own.  At the same time his other hand slid around inside Khadgar’s pants, stroking down his arse, reaching further to stroke above the hidden glands, and Khadgar moaned as his body warmed and began to open for the Alpha.  Medivh laugh at the sound, licking across Khadgar’s lips.  “My slutty young Omega, I’ll mount you like the hungry little bitch you are and make you forget all about Lothar…”

 But he wasn’t just a body and hormones, he had a mind and that mind was pushing him to do SOMETHING.  As Medivh pulled away the last layer of his clothing and stepped naked over the pile, the door behind them opened and Morose entered.

His arrival broke Medivh’s concentration and Khadgar took the chance to act.  He reached out, wrapped a tendril of arcane power around a large book sitting on a sidetable, and hurled it at Medivh’s head.  It struck with a lout thwack!

The Guardian stumbled backwards and fell, his feet caught in the clothing, and his head struck the floor.  As he lost consciousness the Alpha power faded and Khadgar stumbled forwards and around his still figure.  Morose looked down at his master and then up at Khadgar, his expression faintly distressed.

“You should go.  I’ll take care of him.”

Khadgar wavered, stomach rolling with nausea.  “How…where…”

“Come outside.”

He followed the castellan out and stumbled down the stairs, finally exiting onto a large open forecourt.  Morose created a portal with a wave of his hands and gestured to Khadgar.  “Get in, it will take you back to Stormwind.  And stay away from the Guardian while you are in that state.  It makes him…unpredictable.”

With a nod of thanks and agreement, Khadgar slid forward and the blazing light of the portal took him away and back to Stormwind.

He landed outside the Keep’s main door and the guards helped him to his feet as he staggered forward.  Lothar arrived minutes later looking wild-eyed and concerned and he pulled Khadgar to him.  “Are you alright?  What happened?”

“Later, I’ll explain later.”  He didn’t feel coherent enough to try and tell the man about how the Guardian of Azeroth had turned into some kind of monster because he wasn’t sure it how much of it was real and how much his Heat-fevered imagination.  _Perhaps that’s how it is with Alphas and Omegas. Perhaps it’s all force and sex and nothing more.  Maybe I’m expecting more, wanting more than I can ever have.  Like someone to care for me for more than what I am, but for who I am, too….._

 


	5. Aftermath

Lothar was into his third mug of ale when Llane found him.

The King studied his friend unseen for a few moments, noting the slumped shoulders and the knuckle-whitening grip on the mug handle.  This wasn’t a man after drinks for amusement, it was someone trying to deaden his brain to reality.  “You won’t find absolution there, my friend.”

Lothar looked up abruptly, twisting back in his seat.  “I know.  I thought it might deaden the bright guilt edges a bit, but so far no luck.”

Llane slid into the chair opposite him and waved the barkeeper away.  “I never found it helped.  You feel just as bad afterwards, and with all the downside of a drunken stupor.”  He looked across at the bloodshot blue eyes.  “So talk to me.  And tell me what in all the Light’s name happened yesterday?”

“What happened,” Lothar said, taking another mouthful and wiping his lips on his sleeve, “was that I failed.  Abysmally.  I’m supposed to be the Lord Commander, not to mention the Prime Alpha, of Stormwind, and I behaved like a feral flea-bitten Alpha.  I don’t know…”  He wiped his eyes wearily.  “Maybe I’m not the right person for this.  Maybe you need a Lord Commander who isn’t affected the way an Alpha will be in a similar situation.”

“Bullshit.”

Lothar blinked.  Llane rarely swore.  “It’s not, it’s…”

“..the drink talking.  You think other people don’t have their own flaws, their own devils they have to contend with?  You’re an honourable man and I trust that honour.  Thing is, I don’t know there would be a ‘similar situation’.   Something about this young man has kicked right through your normal iron-thick hide and touched you where no one has.  And we both know you were very fond of your wife, because she helped you father a child even though most people said an Alpha couldn’t, with a normal.  But she never had your heart, she never made your eyes spark the way they do when Khadgar walks in the room.”  He grinned at Lothar’s negative head shake.  “It’s true, and not just because of the Heat.  But all that aside for the moment – the thing that worries me is Medivh.  His behaviour was…”

“Disgusting.”  Lothar’s eyes narrowed in memory.  “The so-called Guardian, who failed so completely to guard Khadgar, who attacked me when he knew how fixated I was, who kidnapped him right out from your presence – and mine – and then tried to force him.  That’s not just an Alpha reacting to Heat – that was … I dunno what it was, but it was vile and yes, completely out of character to the man we once called a friend.”

“Did Khadgar give you any details?”

“Some.  He was pretty shaken.”  Lothar grinned, twirling the dregs of the ale in his mug.  “He had to have been in a bad place but he still managed to outwit the Guardian and get away – thank the Light for Morose’s quick thinking.  But he did say one thing that worries me.”

Llane’s eyes narrowed.  “What..something to do with the fel thing?”

“Yes.  He said Medivh’s eyes were green.”

“Well, they are…”

“No, not just natural coloration.  They actually glowed.  Similar, he said, to how a mage’s eyes glow blue when they are drawing on the arcane.  But in that particular case, they were green.  He was probably more shocked about that than he was about almost being raped by the Guardian of Azeroth.”

Llane stared down unseeing at the damp tabletop.  “So we have Medivh acting entirely out of character, with glowing eyes that are somehow connected to this Fel substance.  At one stroke we lose the one person who can tell us more about this danger than anyone else.  What’s to be done?”

“I have no idea.”  Lothar pushed the mug away and stood, wiping his hand through his untidy hair.  “First, I have to get cleaned up.  Second, I have to check on Khadgar and do what I can for him because he doesn’t seem to want anyone else near him right now.  And third…”  Lothar shrugged, staring down into the worried face of his King, “third, we have to figure out a way to contain someone who is pretty well uncontainable.”

 

Khadgar stirred from an uneasy sleep to the touch of a hand on his head.  Only the sense of a familiar encompassing Alpha aura stopped him from yelping in reaction.  He turned over onto his back, dislodging a pile of blankets and blinked up at Lothar.  “Oh, hi.”

“And hi to you.”  Lothar sat down carefully on the edge of the bed.  “How are you feeling?”

How was he feeling?  _Stretched thin, like an old strip of leather.  But it was a  lot better than being torn._   And he’d been very close to that.  “Good thanks.  Hungry.”

Lothar grinned, blue eyes bright with pleasure.  Khadgar knew he was sensing him; the Heat was still there but it was behaving itself finally, sensing it’s Alpha’s presence and satisfied to wait.  That lack of tension made both of them relax.  “Alright then.  I need to wash, I stink of spilled ale and I haven’t had a bath in two days.  Care to join me?  Then we can have breakfast – or lunch, since it’s almost that time.”

Khadgar rolled over and grabbed the robe hanging over the chair next to the bed.  “Perfect.  I can eat two meals at the same time because I’m starving!”

Sharing a bath with someone was something he’d done all his life.  Children were usually bathed together in the one tub and young people, especially growing up in a big, noisy, active school like the Kirin Tor, soon lost any inhabitations about being naked around each other.  Although he wasn’t as familiar with Lothar as with his fellow students, the idea of being naked with him was actually exciting.  He liked the Warrior-Alpha’s body, it was so different to his own.  Large, broad in the chest with its light dusting of hair, big shoulders and well-muscled arms, he was the perfect picture of a powerful male.  Khadgar considered himself a bit…underdone.  While he was healthy and fit, a mage had little use for muscles or strength and his body was more rounded than rippling.  Still, Lothar didn’t seem to find him ugly, which was nice.

The tub was already full of steaming water when they arrived, and Lothar slid the privacy latch on before undressing.  Khadgar was already in the water and smelling the soap as Lothar climbed in, and he grabbed a sponge, swirling it in a circle.  “Turn around, I’ll clean your back.”

It was pleasant to do that for him, to smooth his hand across the big back and neck, to work the soapy sponge across the man’s skin.  It was an intimacy that was more than simple sexuality, it was being close to someone, of being able to touch them with an easy familiarity.  His fingers slid over numerous scars, some still puckered, some very old.

“You have so many scars.”

“Well yes, part of the whole warrior thing.”  Lothar turned to face him and sat on the tub’s inner bench.  He gathered Khadgar to him, pulling him up onto his thighs.  Khadgar’s heartbeat sped up and he licked moisture from his lips.

“I have one too.  See!”  He pointed to a tiny mark at the side of his right chin.  “One of the boys nicked me with a play sword when I was twelve.  It bled heaps.”

“My poor young mage. “  He watched Lothar’s face draw close, closed his eyes as the mouth rested on his chin.  “I’m trying to imagine two mages having a sword fight.”  He chuckled at the idea and Khadgar punched him in the chest.  “That would be worth watching.”

“Make fun of mages at your peril.  While you warriors are thinking about pulling out your swords, we’ve already blown you through into the next country.”

Big fingers swirled around his ears, stroking his neck and face and he closed his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Khadgar opened his eyes again, focusing on the flushed face so near to him.  “For what?”

“For failing you.  For letting him take and threaten you.  I’m very sorry.”

Khadgar bent and rested his face against Lothar’s throat.  “It’s alright.  Just don’t…don’t let me him take me again.”

“Not while I live.”

He felt Lothar drawing the Heat from him, gently stroking his body to wake the beast but with the quiet ease of the experienced Alpha he was.  There was no sudden hunger, no fearful fall into need, just a relaxed drift until they settled together and Lothar raised him to a place he’d never known.  He wondered, as their bodies moved towards satisfaction in a kind of sexual dance, if that was how it was meant to be.  If it was, then he thought being an Omega might not be so bad after all.

 


	6. First Lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of the parts are small, forgive me dear readers, but I figured it was better to post small parts often than get distracted by the bling while trying to put together larger parts. I know me well, you see (:

He and Lothar had shared a cheerful lunch together in the Keep’s mess hall before the Lord Commander was called away for a meeting with the King.  He’d given Khadgar a kiss on the cheek and headed off at a jog, leaving the young mage eating the remains of his toast and tea.  He was wondering what to do to entertain himself when an older man, obviously a warrior of some sort by his worn leathers, approached him.

Khadgar straightened, heart thudding.  The man was an Alpha, but he was projecting such an air of contained control that Khadgar began to relax.  And he was old – at least fifty or more from the grey in his beard and hair, and the smile he gave Khadgar was easy and calming.

“It’s alright young man, I’ve no intention of trying to do anything to you.  The Lord Commander asked me to talk to you.  He’d have my guts for belt leather if I touched you, so be at ease.”

Khadgar took a swallow of his tea and cleared his throat.  “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous at the moment.”

“From what I’ve been told, it’s no wonder.  My name is Gregory Benton, I’m the Lord Commander’s Sergeant-at-Arms.  I’d offer you my hand for a shake but it’s best I don’t touch you right now.  As I say,” he said, his tanned face wrinkling in a grin, “I’m good at control around Omegas but still, it’s better to be careful.  Especially considering how powerful your aura is.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sergeant.”  Khadgar frowned as he tried to sense his aura.  “Is it that bad?”

“Oh it’s not bad – anything but.  But for a youngster, you put out enough auric power to knock down a small tree.”

Khadgar liked the old Alpha straight away.  He was very different from Lothar – still strong, but Lothar’s strength was like a river in full flow.  Gregory was like a rock, strong and still. “So why did Lothar ask you to see me?”

Gregory grabbed an apple from the plate of fruit on the table and began to peel it with his belt knife.  “He thought I could offer you some help, a little instruction.  Now normally I instruct the youngsters in swordplay and so forth, so this is a bit new for me.  But nobody has more experience of our situation in Stormwind.  Omegas learn about themselves as they grow older, learn how to live with the Heat and how to manage Alphas..”

“I beg your pardon.  Did you say – manage Alphas?”

“I surely did.  What, you think that the Alpha does all the controlling?  Far from it.  A good Omega can twist an Alpha around their finger.  I’m probably betraying the brotherhood by telling you this.  We don’t like to admit it, but a strong Omega can be a bit of a terror for us.”

Khadgar rested his chin on his hands and listened, fascinated.  He’d been given a little information by his life teachers about the Omega state but they’d hardly touched on this aspect.  “So – I can control an Alpha?  How is that even possible?”

Gregory bit into one of the slices of apple and munched away happily.  “It’s a matter of..what’s the word…subtlety.  Yes, it’s a subtle thing, not like your typical Alpha, who is more into the, shall we say, forceful side of life.  I guess over the centuries the Omegas had to learn how to use their auras to control an Alpha for survival.  Back when we were more primitive, things would have been bad – Alphas fighting over an Omega, taking them by force, yeah it would have been bad.  So they had to learn to counter that natural aggression.”  He wiped his hands and settled back in the chair.  “So let’s do a little experiment.  I want you to feel your aura.  Think of it as one of your magic power things, get a taste of it.  And remember, it’s always there even when you aren’t on Heat.  It’s part of you, it identifies you to an Alpha.  But of course without Heat it isn’t triggering anything in the Alpha.”

Khadgar nodded, closed his eyes and felt for it.  He’d always been aware of it, from the day his Omega state had breached.   “It’s…faint.  Like an invisible mist cloud around me.”

“If you say so.  To me it’s just something that pings on my brain.  So you can feel it – now try and manipulate it.  Push it towards me.”

“Ummm.  I’m not sure I want to do that.”

“It’s fine.  I’m under full control and your Heat is almost gone.  Just try and be gentle about it.  Don’t thrust it at me like a sword.”

After half an hour Khadgar was sweating and a headache was growing behind his eyes, but he’d managed to touch Gregory lightly, and withdraw the touch on command.  He noted that the older man was sweating too, but he hadn’t moved in the chair.  “That’s good.  Now I want you to put a command to me while encircling me with the aura.  Something simple.”

Keeping his eyes open, Khadgar sent a tendril of that auric mist towards Gregory, imagining it swirling around the big warrior’s body.  The Sergeant twitched but held still and Khadgar spoke, putting all of his natural warmth into his voice.  “Gregory…”

“Hmmm?”  The warrior’s eyes were starting to go unfocused and he blinked, as if he was finding it hard to concentrate.  “What did…”

“Gregory…could you pat your head for me please?”  Somehow he’d instinctively formed his tone into an almost hypnotic allure, projecting it through the aura, and after a moment the older man reached up and began patting himself on the head.  “So tell me, Gregory, don’t you think I’m the most stunningly handsome man in the city?”

“Oh yes…stunningly handsome…”  He blinked rapidly, focused and laughed. “Well, you’re a quick learner.  That will do for today I think, though I do have more to teach you.”  He grinned, snagging another piece of apple.  “Light help the poor man.”

Khadgar grabbed one of the slices of apple.  “Who?”

“The Lord Commander.  He really has no idea.”  And he laughed.


	7. Further Discoveries

Khadgar’s personal concerns were pushed to the background over the following weeks by far more significant events.

Lothar had gone to Karazhan with a company of his best soldiers, to find the tower deserted.  Worse, he’d found Morose’s body lying on the tower forecourt.  It was difficult to tell how the old castellan had died, since the body bore no obvious wounds, though animals had worked on the corpse following his death.  The old man’s body seemed shrunken, as if he had been aged closer to his true years.  But of his master there was no sign.  Lothar had commented to Khadgar that he wasn’t sure if he was happy about that or not.  He obviously hadn’t been looking forward to facing Medivh, or whatever it was that Medivh had become.

And then reports started coming into Stormwind of an invasion.  Towns along the northern borders with the dwarven lands were attacked, their inhabitants slaughtered or lost, the buildings burned.  And the handful of survivors that made their way south spoke of huge beast-like beings.  Their descriptions were nothing like anything known or shown in the records.

So life became very full for the Lord Commander and he had little time to spend with Khadgar.  But the young mage had his own work to do – studying whatever it was that had happened to the Guardian, and finding out more about the Fel.  Research had proven difficult – there was nothing in the collections in Stormwind that was any help, and he finally had to accept the fact that the only place likely to provide the books he needed was Karazhan.

Lothar’s response had been predictable.  “You want to go back there?  Are you crazy!  What if Medivh comes back while you’re there?”

It hadn’t been a pleasant thought, and he knew it showed in his face because Lothar started heading towards adamant.  “No, you aren’t going there, I forbid it.”

That got a reaction.  “You what?”  Khadgar’s eyes narrowed as anger flushed his skin.  “Who are you to forbid me?  I’m not one of your soldiers, I’m not even a citizen of this city!  Don’t you DARE…”

A large hand gripped his arm and pulled him close to Lothar and he glared up into features set in a determined scowl.  “Don’t fight me on this.  I’ll restrain you if I have to.”

Power sparked in Khadgar’s brain and he knew his eyes had begun to flash blue.  “You..will…what?”

Perhaps he’d rethought that threat, since keeping a mage confined wasn’t the easiest thing to do, at least while they were conscious.  And perhaps a common sense node had kicked in and Lothar could see just how furious this particular mage was becoming.  The hand gripping him softened into a stroke.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…well, I did mean it, but not that way.  I don’t want you going there, it’s too dangerous.”  He smiled crookedly, those stunning eyes bright with concern.  “Please.”

_Ah, now, that’s not fair._ “You fight dirty.”  He reached up, grabbed a handful of Lothar’s somewhat shaggy hair, and pulled his head down into a kiss.  He felt the warrior’s arms wrap around him in an encompassing hug.  When he finally pulled his mouth away to talk, a frustrated sigh came out first.  “I do really need to go there.  I need to research the Fel and it’s the only place, apart from Dalaran, that is likely to be of any help.”

“Then go to Dalaran.”

He snorted, smoothing one hand across Lothar’s bearded cheeks.  “Not a good idea.  I wouldn’t get a very good reception, since I parted from the Kirin Tor under rather stressful circumstances.  No,” he said, as Lothar turned his face into Khadgar’s palm to kiss it, “I need to go to Karazhan….oh stop that…”  He smiled as Lothar chuckled against his damp palm.

He’d discovered that Lothar's touch was a delight, even when he wasn't sexually active.  It didn’t excite him, he didn’t experience sexual stimulation outside Heat, but it felt good on a purely personal level.  And an Alpha, of course, was always a touch away from arousal.  Khadgar rather thought he’d need to learn some new oral skills very soon…

But in the end logic and necessity had won out over concerns regarding safety, and he’d been allowed to go – along with a dozen of Lothar’s best warriors and a healer.  And they had strict instructions to get him out at the first hint of danger.  Lothar would have gone himself but the King had commanded him to investigate the attacks and his duty to the Kingdom had to have priority of his personal desires.

It felt odd returning to an empty Karazhan.  It had always been Guardian’s home and it echoed to their footsteps.  The troops did a thorough search of the area, finding no sign that anyone was there, or had been there for some time.  Mice scuttled over the remains of an unfinished meal and litter was already collecting inside doorways.  To be safe, Khadgar didn’t go any further into the tower beyond the library levels.  The officer in charge of the troop set guards and Khadgar immediately began a search of the tomes.

One of them in particular drew him to open it.  It was an old book of prophecies, which had been recorded more for their historical worth than any belief in their truthfulness.  He wasn’t sure what there was about it that was important, but the desire to keep it was strong, so he tucked it into his pack for later study.  He found a number of works that mentioned the Fel, and he piled those up as well.  When he’d located anything that he thought would be useful, Khadgar had the warriors gather them into packs and they headed back to Stormwind.

Their arrival coincided with the return of Lothar’s scouts.  Not that they really needed to know how dangerous things had become – smoke rose from a number of places across the Kingdom and the rumours of beasts had turned into reality.  They’d managed to capture a couple, including a strange-looking female who spoke common, though not well.  It was she who named the invaders.

Orcs.


End file.
